Open My Eyes
by butterflyxblade
Summary: Rukia Kuchiki is sheltered by her over protective mother. She has never been outside or seen beyond her window. But when her mother passes away, she is put into the care of her mother's friend and is taken by surprise. Will all her questions be answered?
1. Opening

"And then little Miss Aiko comes over and says 'Hello Miss Keiko…how was your day?' And Miss Keiko says 'Very nice, why thank you Miss Aiko.'"

Little Rukia Kuchiki smiled and laughed happily as she played with her dolls. Her finger touched her chin and her eyes looked to the ceiling as she tried to think of a new game to play. But, when nothing entered her mind, she continued her game, the same little game she played every day. She always played with her dolls. It was part of her "schedule."

"Rukia, come up. It's time for your story."

"Okay Momma!" Rukia smiled as she rose from the living room floor and neatly put her dolls away before running up the white carpeted stairs to where her mother's voice was. She opened the door to her room and sat on her fluffy bed next to her mother. Rukia's violet eyes danced around the familiar room. The pink walls and pink rug never seemed to change. Even her dolls stared at her in the same peculiar way as they always did. But Rukia did not think much of it, because that was how her life always was.

"Will you read me the story, Mommy?"

"Of course, I'll read you your favorite…"

Her mother began to read her a story about a girl who eventually grew up and became a happy young woman with no troubles and hardships. She stayed in her house, did what she was told, and became successful and cheerful. It was the perfect story, the story her mother read her every day.

"Now see, Rukia, if you do these things, you will be perfectly happy too. Nothing bad will happen to you and you'll live a wonderful life. Don't you want that?"

"Yes Mommy! I wanna be happy just like you! " Rukia smiled as she hugged her mother. Her mother smiled squeezed her tightly.

"I love you, Rukia…you're a wonderful girl…and it's almost time for my little girl to have her nap…I'll go get your things…"

Her mother stood up and walked out of her daughter's room as Rukia laid on her bed and stared at the top of her canopy. She has always been with her mother with no memory of anyone else, always living together in their little white house with its little red roof. To her, she had the greatest mother in the world that always loved her. But her mother just had one important rule.

Never open the shades.

'The world is a very bad place that nice little girls shouldn't see,' her mother would say. Whenever Rukia asked her mother about the outside world, her mother would shake her head and repeat those words. Rukia was not that interested with outside anyway, for she was happy with her mother in their house. But then, she heard a strange noise coming from outside her bedroom.

Rukia got up from her bed and walked over to the window. She swallowed twice before her small hand pulled on the white shade string. The blinds flew up in a flash and light filtered into the room. She squinted her eyes as she looked out the window, the sunlight blinding her at first. The first thing her eyes fell on was a small orange blob in the middle of the road. She held her breath as she watched it move towards her. Rukia realized it had a face as big brown eyes stared up at her.

"H-Hello?" Her small voice escaped from the windowsill. The thing she called 'it' kept staring at her intently. However, 'it' was an orange haired boy.

"Hi! I haven't seen you before. What're you doing up there?!"

Rukia quickly looked to see if her mother was coming before she answered, "This is my room. M-My mom said it's dangerous outside!"

The boy's eyes stayed on her as he grinned, "Well, she's wrong! There's nothing bad down here where I am!"

"No…Momma wouldn't lie. She's right because she loves me."

"Well, come out and see!" Violet curiosity continued to stare at brown confidence, and there was a long silence.

"Will you ever come out?"

"O-One day…I want to…," Rukia replied quietly. The boy grinned.

"Then I'll wait for you to come down from that room! What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm-"

"RUKIA!!!!"

Rukia turned from the window when she heard the shriek of her mother, who ran over and quickly tried to pull her daughter away from the window.

"Mommy, I'm talking to the 'it'!"

"GET AWAY FROM THE WINDOW RUKIA!!!"

Rukia's face twisted in fear as her mother dragged her away from the windowsill. She fell onto the ground as her mother closed and locked the window. Rukia whimpered and began to cry as she curled up into a ball on the floor. She had never, ever heard her mother scream before.

"Why Rukia? I've told you so many times! Why did you open the window?!"

"I-I don't understand Mommy!" Rukia finally stood up, warm tears rolling down her small, pale face. She shook as she talked; she has never been angry before. "Why can't I open the window?! Why can't I go outside and see everything?! The 'it' said it'd wait for me! Why, Momma?!"

Her mother, tears in her eyes, quickly ran over and hugged her daughter. Rukia started crying again against her mother's chest.

"I'm so sorry, Rukia. But nothing good will come from going outside…I learned the hard way…I'm just trying to protect you, Rukia. I'm so sorry…but I promise you, I'm doing something right."

Rukia nodded through her mother's embrace. "O-Okay Momma…I'm sorry…I…I won't go outside anymore…I'm so sorry, don't be mad at me Momma…"

And they stayed like that in the darkness of her room for a while longer.

* * *

"Rukia…"

The name came easily off six year-old Ichigo Kurosaki's lips, "Rukia…"

For a while, Ichigo stood on the curb and repeated the name over and over again, thinking of what he should so with it. After a few minutes, a grin showed itself on his rosy face.

"I'm gonna come up there and get you one day, Rukia!" Ichigo began to yell from the street. No one could hear him and he knew that. It was his way of declaring it to himself. "I'm gonna bring you down here and show you everything!"

"Ichigo…what are you doing standing there, we have to keep moving…"

He grinned as he saw his kind-eyed mother came walking towards him. "You used a lot of energy at the dojo, you must be tired. Come on, let's go home for dinner."

Ichigo took his mother's hand, "I just met the cutest girl Mommy…but her momma won't let her out of her room…"

His mother frowned, "I know dear…the Kuchiki family…it's actually very sad…"

Ichigo looked up at his mother, "But one day…I'm gonna go take her from her room and bring her down with me! Just like the people in the books you read me Momma…I'll save her from a dragon too!"

His mother smiled, "Yes…please do that Ichigo…I bet Kuchiki-chan would really like that…"

Then, Ichigo's smile turned into a frown as he bowed his head, "But…Momma, can I save people? Do you really think I can save her, Momma?" Ichigo sighed. His mother stopped and walked in front of him, kneeling down to hold his head in her hands.

"Ichigo…you're a protector…you can do anything."

Ichigo's lips spread out into an even bigger smile as they continued to walk down the road together. But before the Kuchiki house was out of sight, Ichigo turned around one more time to look.

"I'll save you…I promise, Rukia…"

* * *

**And the story begins...**

**I like where this is going. It's my first sorta AU so I hope everything works out. I have a couple things in mind for this story and pray that it will be long, continuous and successful! **

* * *


	2. Deal

"Rukia Kuchiki?"

"Yes. You remember her, right, my boy?"

Ichigo stares at his father from his desk in utter shock. His father had told him previously that someone was going to be living with them soon, but didn't think it would be Rukia Kuchiki; the girl who the townspeople say is 'sheltered beyond belief'.

"Why? Doesn't her jerk of a mom keep her from going out? " Ichigo scoffs, looking back at his book, his shocked expression quickly fading into his usually scowl. "After doing that to a kid, she must be pretty messed up. Why the hell is she coming here when she's got her crackpot mother?"

His father is silent for a moment.

"Her mother died, Ichigo."

Ichigo's head shoots up from his desk again but did not look at his father. His eyes stayed focused on the wall in front of him. His father sighs.

"We were a friend of her parents, that's why…but it's gonna be hard for her, Ichigo. Losing the only person she ever knew then being pushed into a whole new world. She's going to be very fragile…so… you better be nice to Rukia-chan while she's here!" Isshin yells, finishing his statement by punching his son on the back of his head. Ichigo grits his teeth.

"Ya can't be serious for too long, can ya old man?" Ichigo mumbles under his breath as his father leaves the room. He rolls back in his chair and lets out a sigh, "Rukia…," the name coming as fluidly off his mouth as before.

"Ichigo!!" His sister yells from downstairs, "Come down! She's here!"

"W-What the hell?!" Ichigo yells, almost falling out of his chair, "Already?! You guys didn't tell me she was comin' _today!_"

"Dad said he didn't want to hear your whining…" Karin states nonchalantly from the doorway of his room. "Now come on, you're so slow…"

Ichigo sat in his chair in shock for another moment before jumping up and running out of his room. "O-Oi! Karin!"

He runs down the steps to see someone standing in his doorway. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the person he will soon start living with. Rukia Kuchiki stood in the hallway holding her suitcase, her large violet eyes staring at him. She was wearing a white sundress that flowed to her knees and a white sun hat placed on her head, her black, shoulder-length hair flowing out from it. Her eyes stayed on him as she smiled.

"Hello, you must Kurosaki-kun. I'm Kuchiki, nice to meet you," she says with a curtsy. Ichigo just stands there, not knowing how to react.

"Uh…hi…"

"Ichigo! How can you be so rude?! It seems my son is a rude delinquent! I have failed as a father!!" Isshin yells, tears rolling down his face. Ichigo gapes.

"D-Dad!! What the hell are you doing?! Stop!!" Ichigo yells, embarrassed, but more importantly nervous. He runs over and quickly grabs his father. _Crap…she probably doesn't know he's kidding and will get creeped out and cry or something! You're the one who said be gentle, ya damn old man!_

"Hahahah, oh Kurosaki-san…you're so funny," Rukia laughs and she watches the scene in front of her. Ichigo's mind goes blank. _Oh…_

"Yeah…sorry, my family's kinda weird…but you'll learn to live with them, Rukia-chan…" Karin cuts in as she walks down the stairs. Rukia continues to keep her smile plastered on her face.

"Yes…living here will be very interesting…"

"Ichigo! Redeem your manly hood and take Rukia-chan's bag up to her room!" Isshin yells from the floor, which his son had pinned him too. Ichigo stands, brushing himself off.

"All right…come on Rukia," he says, taking her bag.

"You're such a gentlemen, Kurosaki-kun, thank you," she says, curtsying again. Ichigo's sighs as he leads her up the stairs. _She seems like any other average girl to me…just a weird one. Geez…what the hell did I get myself into?_

Ichigo takes Rukia's bag into his room and places it on his bed. Rukia walks in behind him, her eyes examining every inch of the room.

"Is this where I'm sleeping, Ichigo?"

Ichigo turns automatically when he hears his name, "Uh…no…you're gonna sleep in the guest room. I…guess I brought your bag in her for no reason…I'll go put it in your room."

"No, it's all right," Rukia says, sitting on his bed, "I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"'Bout what?" Ichigo asks, sitting in the chair at his desk.

"I want you to help me, Ichigo…" she says, a playful kind of seriousness in her voice. Ichigo's eyebrows scrunch together.

"Uh...about what?"

"I want you to help me figure out this world of yours," she begins, leaning forward on the bed, "I've always been interested with outside ever since I saw it one time when I was little… I've even read books about it behind my mother's back, but I cannot fully understand it. But now, this is the perfect opportunity to see it…"

"And by 'outside'…you mean outside my house…"

"Yes!" Rukia responds, her eyes filled with excitement, "I want to know what it feels like to…walk around on a street…sidewalk it's called…like a normal person. Like you."

"What's in it for me then?" he asks, resting his head on his hand. "If I help ya, what do I get…"

Rukia thinks for a moment. "I don't know…but I'll think of something…there will be a reward…and it will be a reward worth your trouble!" she replies, trying to be as persuading as possible, for she senses Ichigo's indifference.

Ichigo spins his chair around, facing his desk, "You would have known about all of this already if your crazy mom raised ya like a normal kid…"

After a moment, Ichigo's eyes go wide as his chair is spun around and a hand grabs the collar of his shirt. His head snaps back and he stares at his attacker. Her rage has changed her eyes from their light violet color to a dark purple that looks almost black. Ichigo watches her moving jaw as she grits her teeth and forms a fist at her side with her other hand.

"Do NOT speak badly of my mother, you hear me?! She was great person who did EVERYTHING for me!! If you ever talk about her that way again…I…I…I don't know WHAT I'll do to you!! You don't know how it feels!! To be left all alone!! To be…be…" Rukia stammers, unsure of what to say. She looks at Ichigo face once more before letting go of his shirt and backing away.

"I…I'm sorry…I…" she looks around nervously, not knowing what to do. Her head twists to the side as she follows her line of sight and jumps into Ichigo's closet, closing the door. Ichigo sits there in silence and watches the closet. He hears mumbling from the inside. He sighs again.

_Oh crap…_

"I know how it feels…uh…my mom died too, a long time ago…it was wrong of me to say that, I'm sorry…" he says nervously in front of the closet door. He swallows before he continues. "You're sad, aren't ya? It's all right to be…I was upset for a long time too…but I guess you have a better excuse than I did," he says, scratching his neck.

Rukia stays silent in the closet. He bites his lip, thinking over his words carefully, before continuing speaking. "I'll help ya, Rukia…I don't know how it's gonna go…but I'll show ya everything you'll need to know about… 'outside', so don't worry…uh…damn, I'm not good at this…" he turns his head away.

_Ah crap…that sucked…she's either gonna have a break down or jump out of the closet and kill me…Dad was right…I'm so stupid…_

"Baka…"

Ichigo turns back to the closet, the door still closed. He snorts.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I believe in your terms, it means 'idiot' or 'moron'…" Rukia says slyly as she opens the closet door. Her face is the same, no sign of rage or crying. Ichigo sighs in relief.

"You okay?" He says, walking over as she gracefully leaps out of the closet.

"Yes…I apologize, I…I'm not used to other people yet…" she says stubbornly, brushing herself off. Her eyes do not meet his and are still dark from her flash of anger. And for some reason, which Ichigo didn't understand at that moment, he didn't like her eyes that way.

"Well…if I'm teachin' ya that too, I better be gettin' some hell of an reward…" he smirks. Rukia looks over her shoulder.

"First you've got to help me before you start thinking about rewards…"

"Geez…I just met ya and you're already freakin' bossin' me around…"

"Get used to it. You never know…_I _may even be able to help a baka like _you_…" she says, standing by the door. "Now can you take my bag to my _real_ room? I don't know where it is…" she turns away, somewhat embarrassed about her lack of knowledge. Ichigo snorts and takes her bag, noticing that her eyes are bright again.

"That's better."

* * *

**What did Ichigo get himself into? It's the beginning of the end for our strawberry friend. hahahahah. It's _really _hard to write Rukia like this and keep her in character...cuz a girl that's never been outside her house has to be awkward and moody like that, right? Well, I'm trying my best. I'm depending on you guys to let me know if it's getting too OOC.**

* * *


	3. Rain

"So what will you two be doing tomorrow?"

"Nothin'…I'm gonna- AH!"

"Kurosaki-kun offered to show me around town tomorrow."

Rukia smiles as she eats dinner at the table while Ichigo grabs his swollen shin.

"Damn Rukia, why so hard?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kurosaki-kun," she says with a sly grin, wiping her mouth with a napkin. Ichigo sighs and leans his elbows on the table. Yuzu rolls her eyes.

"Where are you taking Rukia-chan tomorrow?"

"Ya heard what she said, town."

"But _where _in town?" This time it's Rukia's turn to speak, her eyes wide and full of curiosity. She sits on the edge of her chair waiting for his reply. Ichigo glower softens slightly.

"I'm gonna take ya to the park…"

"Oh, that's nice, you'll like it there, Rukia-chan, it's really pretty. But it's supposed to rain tomorrow so make sure you bring an umbrella, Ichii-nii."

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Park: an area of land for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, often owned, and managed by a city or state."

Ichigo's fork falls out of his hand as his sisters stare at her in astonishment. Rukia tilts her head.

"Right? A park?"

"You're right…you _did_do your research," Ichigo replies, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Rukia grins.

"A park usually has things such as slides, swings, and bars for monkeys, correct? Do people really own monkeys?"

Karin and Yuzu start to laugh while Ichigo rolls his eyes. He sighs, "No, it's sorta like a kid's game…it's hard to explain."

"Will you teach me tomorrow?"

He looks over and sees her leaning over the table in excitement. He sighs again, her enthusiasm becoming annoying.

"Yeah, yeah but tomorrow though…"

"All right…I suppose I will be going to bed now," she says, getting up from the table. Karin's eyebrows go up.

"But it's only seven o'clock…"

"This is usually when my mother tells me to go to bed, so…" she sighs sadly, "Well, good night."

Rukia starts to head for the stairs but someone grabs her arm. She turns to see Ichigo attentively staring at her, his eyes serious and focused. She turns red slightly.

"I-Ichigo…what are you-"

"Look, I know you wanna respect your mom…but she's not here now, okay? The sooner ya realize it, the easier it'll be…" he tells her quietly, letting go of her arm. He puts his hands in his pockets and starts walking towards the den, "So don't go to bed yet," he says over his shoulder, "We'll put on a movie or somethin'…"

Rukia stands at the foot of the steps before taking a breath and walking over to the couch.

"All right…I guess I'll stay up a little longer, just for you, Kurosaki-kun," she laughs. Ichigo's cheeks turn strawberry.

"Whatever…"

* * *

"Ichigo, Ichigo, it's time to go, Ichigo!" Rukia says, shaking Ichigo in his bed. He turns over and gives her his usual glare but it doesn't faze her.

"What the hell, Rukia? Can't I freakin' sleep?"

"Baka, you said you'd take me to a park today…and now it's today so get moving!" she demands, punching him in the head while he's still in his bed. He grabs his cracked skull.

"…Damn midget…"

Rukia throws a book from his desk before leaving.

"Just hurry up, Strawberry!"

Ichigo grumbles as he gets out of bed. Of course, Rukia got _all_her sleep since she slept through the whole movie because she's not used to staying up that late. So Ichigo had to watch the movie with his sisters, put them to bed, then carry Rukia up to her room. He finally got to bed at two…and too bad he's awake at seven in the morning on a Sunday. He's _not_ a morning person.

Anyway, Ichigo got up, got dressed and went down to meet his eager, energetic partner, who was ready to enjoy a day that will 'educate her on normal activity.' He walks down the steps.

"You ready, Rukia?"

"Yes, yes, let's go," she says, coming from the den in another sundress, blue this time. Ichigo sighs, _This is gonna freakin' kill my image…_

"What are you staring at, baka? Let's go…"

"Fine, fine," he says, grabbing something and putting it in his pocket. Rukia's eyebrows go up.

"What's that?"

"It's nothin', let's go…" he says walking out the door. He turns to see Rukia standing in the doorway, gripping its frame. He scowls, "You were the one so freakin' eager to go, come on, Rukia…"

Rukia just stares at the pavement, her eyes indecisive. Ichigo's face softens once again and pulls at his hair.

"L-Look Rukia…if you're not ready yet…"

Rukia takes a deep breath and places her foot onto the sidewalk. She walks out and stands next to him in front of the house. She looks up at him, her face serious but kind at the same time, sure of the decision she has made.

"I'm ready, Ichigo."

He smirks, "All right, then let's get movin'…it's gonna be a long day…"

The walk to the park was used as a time for Rukia to ask every simple, ridiculous question that came into her mind to Ichigo such as 'How did the buildings grow so tall?', 'What are houses made of?', and "Why is the sky blue?'. And Ichigo was forced to answer every question. As imaginable, he quickly became annoyed, until they arrived at the park.

"All right Rukia…what do ya want to see?" he says, uninterested, as he turns to her, but her head and eyes are focused upward.

"What are those Ichigo?" she asks, her eyes not removing themselves from their line of sight. Ichigo looks up.

Seeing what she sees, he frowns and looks at her, "Those are called trees Rukia…"

"Trees…they're so green…oh, and the things on them are called leaves, right?! Right, Ichigo?" she turns to him in excitement. He nods silently. Rukia looks up again the large, strong trunks to see the leaves, the branches of the trees entangling themselves into each other, creating a sea of green. She smiles.

"They're beautiful."

Ichigo looks away. He didn't want to admit it but it upset him. That a girl was so deprived from living that she's never seen trees before…and she doesn't know what a park is. Why did her mother do that to her? Ichigo curses under his breath. _Too many freakin' unanswered questions…_

"Ichigo! You said you'd teach me 'monkey bars'! Come on!" she says, grabbing his arm, "Tell me where they are, baka!"

Ichigo's scowl turns into a smirk again as he lets himself be dragged by Rukia. _I wanna know…but I guess I can't ruin this for her now…_

* * *

"So this is it?"

"Yeah…"

"And they find this fun?"

"Yeah."

Rukia hangs on the monkey bars in disappointment while Ichigo stand next to her, leaning on the play set. He rolls his eyes when he notices how childish she looks. She pouts.

"What else do you do at a park, Ichigo?"

"I don't know…there's mostly kids' stuff…" Ichigo grunts, but when he sees her face again, he sighs, "But there are…swings and stuff."

"All right, take me there."

"Hey, I'm helping ya…so don't be bossin' me around," he snorts. Rukia rolls her eyes and walks ahead. Ichigo groans but quickly gets ahead of her and walks to the swing set.

"There ya go."

"Okay…now show me how to do it," she demands, staring at it intently. Ichigo goes to say something, but decides not to fight and sits on the swing.

"All right, sit on it…and, sorta swing your legs, I guess…"

Rukia nods and sits on the swing next to him. She starts to swing her legs but doesn't get moving. She sighs, "This world of yours is not as enjoyable as I thought, Ichigo."

"Ah hey…don't get all depressed! Ya just aren't doin' it right!!" Ichigo says, standing up. _If she gets depressed now she'll never freakin' come out of the house again…_ "Pick up your feet, damn it!"

Rukia's eyes go wide as she quickly lifts her feet from the ground. Ichigo walks behind her and puts his hands on her back. "Hold on…"

And after a couple pushes, Rukia's flying through the air. Her mouth's open wide, her eyes almost coming out of her head. She starts to yell.

"Wow, Ichigo!! I've never…moved this fast before…or done something…like this!!"

Ichigo grins, "I know…"

When Rukia finished her ride, the sky darkened. It began to crackle and light up, water lightly coming from the glowing, grey sky. Rukia looked up and yelped.

"I-Ichigo…what was that?"

He walks over to her and pulls something out of his pocket, "Good thing Yuzu told us last night. It's just rain…"

"Rain?"

And suddenly, as if on cue, a down pour came over the park. Ichigo was about to open his portable umbrella when he felt something on him. Rukia's arms tightly wound around his waist and her eyes are squeezed closed. Ichigo sighs and opens the umbrella.

"It's okay, Rukia…see, now ya won't get wet…let's just head back…"

Rukia looks up and nods as they begin their walk home under the umbrella. Rukia shivers.

"I don't think I like rain, Ichigo…"

"Yeah? Heh, me either…"

"Is that okay?" she asks, "Not to like something…when I just found out what it was…"

Ichigo looks down at her, "No…it's fine…I don't like a lotta things. I guess…it just means you're figurin' out your likes and dislikes…which is, uh, important for living outside."

"Oh, all right…" she pauses for a moment, "but besides this…I had a great time at the park," she looks up at him, her eyes grinning for her, "So thank you…"

He rolls his eyes and smirks, "Yeah, yeah…whatever…let's just get home before we freeze to death…it was fine outside just an hour ago…damn."

"Don't complain, Ichigo. Don't they say the weather's unpredictable?" Rukia says, getting closer to Ichigo to fit under the umbrella. Ichigo sighs.

"You're in no positionto lecture me, Rukia…"

She smiles, "Just walk faster…"

* * *

**I'll admit it...cute chapter. Keeping Rukia in character is hard! It takes me so long to write a chapter cuz I need to keep changing her dialogue. It's driving me crazy!! I hope it's worth it in the end. Ugh...and when I need to introduce other characters I need to keep them in character too! You guys better like this story!! lol jk, But really, I hope you're liking it.**

* * *


	4. Water

Ichigo grumbles in his chair as he throws his book on the desk. He can no longer take the boring characters and story lines of American literature. He silently goes into his desk and pulls out the play _Othello. _He smirks to himself and skims through the pages, finding the correct line of the beginning of the climax. Othello was about to-

"Bye, Ichigo."

Ichigo looks up, his annoyed expression quickly turning into one of confusion. Rukia stands in front of him in a floral, blue dress with a bag on her shoulder. She looks at him under her large sunglasses.

"We're leaving Ichigo."

"Where the hell are you going now? Yuzu showing you what ants are again?"

"No, Ichigo. We're going to the pool."

Ichigo looks up from his book again, "You're going swimming."

"Yes, you're sisters say they are going to teach me the 'stroke of the dog'," Rukia nods eagerly.

Ichigo sighs, trying to mentally go through Yuzu's explanation of the 'doggie paddle.' Still he can't help to think about things if they went wrong. If Rukia accidentally wanders off into the deep end, Yuzu and Karin won't be able to save her. The life guard could be some unconfident kid that might not know what to do. Rukia could be dead in ten minutes.

"Ichigo," Rukia says, annoyed at the sudden silence, "If you're not gonna say anything, fine. Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan, and I are leaving…"

"I'm comin'," Ichigo says, unhappily, rising from his chair, "I'll be down in a minute, get out."

Rukia turns around and smirks, crossing her arms, "Why did the lazy Strawberry decide to come?"

"I don't have to explain every single thing I do, Rukia. Now get out, I'm changin'," he says, shoving her out of the room. Rukia struggles but eventually is forced out. She waits outside the door, hands on her hips, tapping her foot. Eventually, Ichigo comes out of the room. Rukia jabs him in the side.

"Don't push me, baka."

* * *

"Yay! We're here!" Yuzu squeals as they walk through the gate of the public pool.

Like any August day, the pool was very crowded, which made Rukia nervous. She stays behind Ichigo as they tried to find a place to put down their things. Immediately afterwards, Yuzu and Karin run towards the pool.

"Come in, Rukia-chan," Karin says as they jump into the packed pool. Rukia clenches her teeth.

"I think I'll take the steps, Karin-chan," she replies tensely, watching all the people splash around loudly. Ichigo walks over and stands beside her.

"Come on…I'll walk ya in."

Rukia does not argue and follows silently behind him. Ichigo easily walks into the pool, the water reaching his waist. Rukia, obvious worry on her face, dips her foot in. She cringes.

"It's cold."

"That's the point, Rukia," Ichigo replies plainly, "It's suppose to cool ya off…just get in, you'll get used to it."

Rukia nods and slowly walks down the steps, her face morphing into a more painful expression with each step. Ichigo grins at the sight of her face. This time, Rukia is the one to scowl.

"I'm happy you're enjoying my torment, Ichigo," she mutters, the water rising to the middle of her torso.

Ichigo turns to her, "Ever been in a pool before?"

Rukia shakes her head as she watches a group of children swim past her with wide, curious eyes. Ichigo turns away and silently curses her idiotic mother. Ichigo hears Rukia gasping repeatedly and turns around in a panic, to see her above the water taking deep breaths.

"What the hell're you doing?"

Rukia looks at him, "I'm practicing holding my breath…I read a book once that said you need to hold your breath to go under water."

Ichigo sighs, "We're not gonna do that yet. Well, uh…let's start with the basics. Can ya float on your back?"

Rukia looks at him in astonishment, "Humans can float? I thought we were too heavy…"

Ichigo winces at her answer, "All right…let's start with that then…uh…come over here," Ichigo and Rukia sift through the crowd until they get to the wall. Ichigo demonstrates by floating on his back. Rukia watches him movements intently. Ichigo stands up.

"All right…now here's how ya do it…"

"No need, Ichigo," Rukia says confidently, waving him off, "It looked simple enough." She closes her eyes and shakes out her arms. Ichigo rolls his eyes at her preparation. Suddenly, she lets her body fall back into the water. With a plop, her head goes under the water, no bubbles reaching the surface. Ichigo's eyes go wide in panic.

"Crap! Stand up Rukia!! Freakin' stand up!!" he runs over, pulling her above the surface. She grabs on to him and gasps for air. Ichigo sets her feet down on the bottom of the pool.

"What the hell were you thinkin'? You're new at this! Ya shouldn't be doing freakin' stupid things!!"

Rukia stares at him angrily, "You think I wanted to sink! Almost ever teenager knows things like this, don't they?! It may not look it, but I feel really stupid right now, Ichigo!" she retaliates. Ichigo just listens to her. "I just want to be like everyone else…"

After a moment of silence, Ichigo speaks.

"Ya will be Rukia…but first you gotta learn how to do these things…and in a way that won't freakin' kill ya...so…don't worry..." Ichigo tries to comfort her awkwardly, scratching his neck. Rukia face goes red.

"Oh, you're right…sorry…" she says, embarrassed at her outburst. Ichigo sighs and walks over her, putting his hands on her shoulders. Her pale face goes red again.

"Try again…I got ya…"

* * *

Rukia was floating on her back by the end of the day, thanks to the assistance, of Ichigo and was even starting to hold her breath under water. When they were leaving the pool, Karin ran down an ice cream truck and everyone got something to eat. Rukia walks with Yuzu and Karin while Ichigo walks behind them, staring into his empty wallet. He curses under his breath.

_Good thing I came today or else Rukia would be dead…_Ichigo muses to himself as he watches the girls laugh in front of him. He sighs in frustration, recalling what Rukia said in the pool. It gets him angry that she feels that way. It's not her fault, _it's her dim-witted mom…_Ichigo scowls to himself, watching his sisters run into the house. Rukia waits for him by the door.

"Thanks for helping me today, Ichigo," she says, licking her ice cream, "Next time we go, I'll definitely get it."

Ichigo just shrugs as the both walk into his house. As they walk through the door, Isshin comes up from the clinic, seeing the two enter.

"Ichigo, Rukia-chan, just the people I wanted to see."

"Hey Dad. We're gonna go up to dry off."

"Not yet…I need to talk to you two about something…"

"Um…but may we please put on dry clothes _first,_Kurosaki-san? It's...getting cold," Rukia attempts with a kind smile.

Isshin stares at them sternly, "Quickly…then meet me in the kitchen. There's something we need to discuss."

The two quickly run up the stairs, awkwardly bumping into each other.

"What did you do now Ichigo?!" Rukia whispers loudly. His brow furrows.

"Me? Why the hell me?! What did _you_freakin' do, Rukia?" Ichigo mumbles back.

They quickly get changed and come back downstairs. Sitting at the kitchen table, Isshin clears his throat.

"I'll get right to it, Rukia-chan. Ichigo knows it's coming up but is too ignorant to think it involves you…"

"What, Dad?! What are you talking about?!" Ichigo yells, standing up.

Isshin takes a breath, "We need to talk about Rukia-chan attending school with you in the future…"

Ichigo's brown eyes go wide as he slowly sits down again and stays quiet. Rukia sees the worry on his face and grows nervous.

"Wh-when does school start, Kurosaki-san?" she says out of her dry throat.

Isshin looks to Ichigo, who has a deep grimace on his face. He looks over to Rukia.

"Rukia…school starts next week."

* * *

**All right, the plot begins. I'll be honest with you...right now I have no idea where this is going. It's just a random list of ideas right now, but I'll figure it out. And in this chapter, I found it hard to keep Ichigo in character more than Rukia!! Why am I having so much trouble?! Grr...anyway, if you see any OOCness let me know. I'll try to update asap.**

* * *


	5. Confusion

They sit in his room in silence, Ichigo at his desk, Rukia on his bed, thinking over the previous conversation. Ichigo's serious grimace twists as he stands up. Going over to her, he sits on the bed beside her. Rukia slides over to make room for him, her face passive. She rubs her hands nervously against her dress.

"I can't do this, Ichigo…it's impossible for me…"

"Nothin's impossible, Rukia…we just…gotta figure this out…"

"And how are we suppose to do that, Ichigo?" she says, standing up, "I can't even hold a conversation! I'm too weak as I am now!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes, "Weak? It's not like we're enlisting you in the damn army, Rukia. It's just school…and you're holdin' this conversation fine…"

"This isn't a conversation Ichigo," Rukia crosses her arms, "This is an argument…"

"Well, if a lot people get mad at ya…you know how to talk to'em…"

Rukia stands up, aggravated, "Do you think this is funny, Ichigo? If you do then you can't help me!!" Rukia yells, walking to the door.

"Hey, hey, what the hell? I'm just tryin' to-" Ichigo's sentence is cut off by Rukia slamming the door as she leaves. Ichigo sighs angrily and lays back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"You said ya wanted to be normal …this is the way to go…"

* * *

"_All kids your age go to school, Rukia-chan…it's a way that society educates the young…" Isshin begins._

"_Yes, I read it in a book once…but…my mother taught me lessons at home, so why?"_

"_Because schools like to teach ya things you'll never need to know, ever…" Ichigo mumbles, leaning back in his chair. Isshin glares at his son._

"_Ichigo! Be serious, boy!" Ichigo's brow scrunches at his father's abnormal sternness, "This is going to be very difficult for Rukia-chan…"_

"_Well, you're makin' her feel better by saying that," he turns to Rukia, "Look, you go into a building with a lot of people and sit down and write stuff…nothing too hard."_

_Rukia stares at her feet, "How many people?"_

"_I don't know…" Ichigo scratches his face, "Thirty in a room, maybe…"_

"_Oh, um…that's…that's a lot!" Rukia looks up, panic slowly seeping through her, "What am I going to do?"_

"_Geez…why is everyone worrying?! I'm not seein' the problem here?!" Ichigo stands up, looking to his father. Isshin just shakes his head._

"_Ichigo…how about you wait upstairs…it seems you're not needed…"_

"_Dad, are you serious?!" Ichigo yells, "If it's with Rukia, I wanna-"_

"_Do what you're father tells you, Kurosaki-kun…" Rukia looks up to him, smiling, "I can take care of myself…" _

* * *

_Why is Dad being such an ass? And I could see right through that damn smile Rukia. What the hell did Dad say to you? _Ichigo stares intently at the ceiling with his hands behind head. _I don't know what the hell to do…I still don't see the problem but she's in a tight spot…I could always just-_

"Ichigo."

Ichigo sits up to see Rukia standing in the doorway, her hand on its frame, staring at him intently.

"Will you…," she hesitates for a moment, "Help me with my application, baka!" she orders, walking over and shoving the papers at him.

Ichigo sits up and sorts out the pages, looking through them as he goes. He sighs, "They're sorta all personal questions, Rukia." Rukia looks at him silently and Ichigo just nods, knowing she doesn't want to say that she doesn't know what to do.

"All right…uh…name…?"

"Rukia Kuchiki."

"Yeah, yeah…I'll just fill out all the obvious stuff," he says, starting to go through the forms. After a few minutes, he looks up, "…who should I put… as your guardian?"

"Hisana Kuchiki."

Ichigo looks at her in confusion.

"That's my mother's name."

Ichigo looks down at the paper again, "You know I can't put her down Rukia…"

"Then I'll do it…" Ichigo looks up to see Rukia face close to his as she slowly opens Ichigo's hand to take the pen. He notices how cold her hands are as she places hers on top of his, gently removing the pen from his hand. Ichigo doesn't move, doesn't breathe, until Rukia retrieves what she needs and sits at his desk, writing on her application. Ichigo looks at the floor.

"How long's it been?"

"Two weeks," Rukia says automatically, not turning around to look him in the face. Ichigo grazes his hand through his hair, _Two weeks since she died, huh? _

"What'd she die from?" Ichigo gathers the courage to say. Rukia doesn't turn around.

"A cold. Since she didn't leave the house in so long, her immune system didn't strengthen. Last spring she got a cold…and it killed her."

Ichigo didn't say anything. He can't say anything. Nothing will come into his mind. He just sits there as she fills out her application. He sees her shaking for a quick moment but then she stops, and Ichigo mentally curses himself for not knowing what to do. Suddenly, he takes out his cell phone and calls someone.

"Hey, can ya do me a favor tomorrow?...I want ya to meet someone, I'll bring her to you…okay, thanks."

"Who was that?" Rukia asks, not turning around.

"You'll meet her tomorrow, she's a girl in our class, I think she can help you out…"

"I don't need help, Ichigo."

"Then why did you recruit me?" he retaliates, "I thought it was supposed to _help_ ya…"

"I'm not in the mood, Ichigo."

Ichigo sighs, "Come on, Rukia, she's okay, and will help ya in school…I don't know if I can help ya out a lot when we're in school."

"Why not?" Rukia stands up and walks over, her face only showing little worry.

"Uh…'cause…" Ichigo fumbles with his words. _I can't say people will start sayin' stuff about us 'cause she'll get worried…damn…_

"Is school…segregated?"

"N-No…nothing like that but…"

Rukia shrugs, "Don't worry, Ichigo…we'll be okay, I won't be a burden to you," she says, her eyes filled with kindness.

"…" Ichigo's mind goes blank again as his eyes follow her leave the room.

"Thank you for today, Ichigo, good night."

When she leaves the room, Ichigo's eyes go back to the ceiling as he sorts out the array of thoughts racing through his mind.

_What the hell is she doing to me?_

* * *

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, I haven't seen you in so long!" A girl with long, orange hair says as she opens the door to her apartment, "And this must be Kuchiki-san…I'm Inoue Orihime!" she says with a smile.

"Um, yes, hello, I'm Kuchiki, it is very nice to meet you," Rukia says, curtsying. Ichigo rolls his eyes.

"Do you think you can help her out, Inoue?" Ichigo asks, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Yes, Kuchiki-san and I are going to have lunch and then we'll go shopping, how does that sound?" Inoue says, looking over to Rukia. Rukia looks up at Ichigo and, after seeing him nod, nods to Inoue.

"Okay…I'll see you guys later then," Ichigo turn looks to Rukia, "Relax…nothing's gonna happen," he says before walking away.

"Bye, Kurosaki-kun! Come on, Kuchiki-san, let's do some girl talk…"Inoue grins, taking Rukia by the arm and bringing her into the apartment.

Rukia eyes stay on Ichigo until he is down the steps and out of sight. Inoue looks at her and frowns.

"He'll come back later, Kuchiki-san…don't worry…" she says, worried, sitting down on the couch.

"R-Right…" Rukia nods, taking a breath, "So, Inoue-san…um…how are you?"

* * *

**All right, warning...I will not be updating every day...this is an exception because I was bored today, but anyway...this story is extremely difficult. It's causing me trouble. I like it a lot though. Keeping everyone in character is hard but the story does have it's good points. Like...um...well, there are some. I just can't name them now. But I hope you like it so far. I thought this chapter was really sad tho.**

* * *


	6. Progress

"Oh, and what about this one, Ichigo?"

"Yeah, it looks good…"

"And this one?"

Ichigo rolls his eyes, looking up from his book, "Rukia, they all look fine, don't worry…"

Rukia has been meeting with Orihime for the pass week, walking through what will happen in school and telling her what the other girls are like. Rukia tells Ichigo about what she did each day, which quickly changed from interesting Ichigo to annoying him. Hearing her stories made him happy that Orihime is doing this for him, because he could tell that he could never get through it without killing Rukia.

"Did ya get anythin' besides skirts?" Ichigo asks, looking at Rukia's new collection of clothes that Orihime got her when they went to the mall. Rukia shakes her head.

"I don't like pants, Ichigo," she replies bluntly, "They're too tight. There is no freedom in pants."

Ichigo sighs, "If ya ever tried them on, you might be surprised…"

Rukia glares at Ichigo for his comment, causing him to sigh again. He leans back in his chair, using his hands to hold up his head. He waits for Rukia to put her clothes back into her back until he speaks again.

"You ready for school tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Rukia says, excitedly, "I've been practicing with Inoue-san. I hope everything will go smoothly…"

"It'll be fine," Ichigo looks over to Rukia again, "But what do ya mean by practicin'?"

Rukia smiles as she walks over and stands in front of Ichigo.

"Hello, my name is Kuchiki. It's very nice to meet you," Rukia smiles, curtsying with her dress. Ichigo sighs again.

"What's with the personality change? You bipolar?" he asks, putting his book on the desk.

Rukia raises her index finger, nodding as she talks, "It will make me seem more personable and, therefore, more attractive."

"Attractive to who?"

"My other peers, of course!" Rukia says rather harshly, "Also…Inoue-san told me to say 'what's up' instead of 'how are you' to blend in more. Do you think it will help?"

Ichigo shrugs, "Does it even matter…everythin's gonna be fine, Rukia. Just relax…"

Rukia nods and puts her bag over her shoulder before leaving the room. Before she exits, she looks over her shoulder.

"You're sister are out tonight, Ichigo. Make me dinner."

"What? Why? Can't you do it?" Ichigo grumbles, staring at her in the doorway.

"Baka, of course I can do it, but I don't feel like it. So hurry up, I'm hungry."

Ichigo curses under his breath as he stands up and walks out of the room, brushing Rukia as he passes. He walks down stairs and starts to take food out of the refrigerator, still swearing.

"Damn midget…"

* * *

"Ah!! It's my new daughter's first day of school!! What a joyful moment for a father, seeing her little girl all grown up, isn't that right, my son?!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes as he walks down the stairs, seeing his father crying disgraceful tears of joy. He throws his bag over his shoulder and walks passed him.

"Would you shut up, old man? It's still early…"

"B-but my daughter….ah! Here she comes!!" Isshin yells in excitement, turning back to the stairs. Ichigo turns around also, wanting to see what his idiot father was yelling about. He watches as she walks down the stairs.

She comes down in her school uniform, bag, blouse, blazer, skirt, tie and all. Ichigo cannot help but smile as he recalls all the progress she made over the past few weeks. Rukia Kuchiki is taking her first step into living with society. Rukia sees Ichigo's grin and smiles as well, her violet eyes shining.

"Rukia-chan!!! You look so beautiful!!" Isshin yells, biting the collar of his shirt as he runs over to her. Rukia laughs.

"Why thank you, Kurosaki-san…I am excited for my first day," she walks over to Ichigo, "Are you ready, Kurosaki-kun?"

"Y-Yeah," Ichigo scoffs, heading for the door. They both go outside and start walking to school.

"Ya know, if you're gonna keep that act going on everyday, I'm gonna get pissed," he comments, looking over to her. She smiles back slyly.

"Then you'll just have to live with being pissed, baka…"

Ichigo blows a piece of hair out of his face as they keep walking, eventually arriving at the school. They walk into the classroom and Rukia stops when she sees her future classmates. She smiles and walks ahead of Ichigo to go up to them.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san!!" Orihime waves. Rukia goes over to her first.

"Hello, what's up, Inoue-san?"

Ichigo rolls his eyes when he sees the look on her face when she says 'what's up.' He goes and sits in his desk, unpacking his books. He silently eavesdrops on the conversation.

"Oh, Tatsuki-chan," Orihime turns to Rukia, "That's my friend, Tatsuki-chan! And since she my friend, she's yours now too!" Orihime tells Rukia as she drags her over to Tatsuki. Ichigo just watches on in silence.

"Arizawa Tatsuki, nice to meet cha," Tatsuki says, looking Rukia over. Rukia smiles.

"I'm Kuchiki Rukia. It's very nice to meet you," Rukia says, curtsying. Ichigo hits his head against one of his books. _She's gonna drive me crazy, damn it_.

"So…where are you from, Kuchiki?" One of the girls ask. Rukia hesitates for a moment.

"I live in Karakura…near…near Kurosaki-kun," she replies cautiously, looking over to Ichigo, "isn't that right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo answers, leaning his head on his arm, looking uninterested.

"Ah! My good friend, Ichigo! You're so lucky to have such a beautiful woman live near you!" Keigo says, coming up from behind Ichigo. Ichigo glares at him.

"Don't get any ideas."

"Oh, protective already…we'll just have to see what happens…" Keigo grins evilly, walking over to the group of girls. Ichigo automatically gets up from his seat and follows.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect anything less, Ichigo…"

Ichigo turns around at the sound of his name, surprise showing on his face when he sees his friend.

"Oh, Muizuro, what's up?"

"Nothing really," his short friend walks next to him, "but that girl should be interesting…heard a rumor this is her first time going to school…that some crazy people took her hostage in a different country."

"Hell no, where'd ya hear that?" Ichigo asks, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"Just heard it around," Muizuro shrugs, "It's probably not true though, because that's crazy…"

_It's pretty damn close, _Ichigo thinks as he walks over to Keigo, who's attempting to 'seduce' Rukia.

"Ah, Rukia-chan! Did you ever notice how beautiful you are?"

"Uh…no, I have not, Asano-san…" Rukia replies, nervously.

"That's surprising! You're as amazing as the most beautiful flower!! If we weren't in school right now, I'd-"

"That's enough, Keigo," Ichigo growls, his fist entering his mouth. Keigo screams.

"Ichigoooooo!! Things never change, Ichigooooo!! You're still so mean to me!!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes, "Don't worry about him Rukia, he's just an idiot."

Rukia nods and turns back to the girls. Ichigo sighs, "This is gonna be harder than I thought…"

"Relax, Ichigo…it's the first day of school and you've already hit someone…"

"Chad!" Ichigo says, walking over to two other boys in the back of the room, "I didn't see you guys come in."

"How've you been, Kurosaki?" Uryu says, pushing up his glasses.

"What's up, Ichigo?" Chad asks, watching Ichigo shrug.

"Class, class, take your seats!!" the teacher says as everyone scrambles for a place. Rukia looks around cautiously at all the moving bodies. Quickly, Ichigo grabs her and puts her down in the seat next to him. She looks up at him.

"Thanks, Ichigo…" she whispers.

"Whatever…"

"All right, everyone! I hope you had a good summer! We have a new person in our class this year. Would Miss Kuchiki stand?"

To Ichigo's surprise, Rukia stands up without hestitation, "I'm Kuchiki. It's nice to meet you ."

_Is that all she says? She sounds like a freakin' robot…_Ichigo sighs, listening to her introduction.

"Hey, isn't that -?"

"Yeah, I heard of her…"

"What a freak."

Ichigo quickly turns around and glares at the girl whispering to her friend. The girl swallows loudly and stays silent. Ichigo turns back around.

"Everyone's going to be nice to Kuchiki now, all right? Good. Then let's begin."

* * *

"Damn…I hate this…" Ichigo leans back in his chair, refusing to keep staring at his textbook. It was finally their ten minute break before changing for gym, and, even on the first day, Ichigo cannot take school anymore.

"Ichigo! Isn't this great?! Everyone's so nice and I'm learning so many new things!!" Rukia says, leaning over his desk in excitement. Ichigo sighs, _Opposite of what I'm thinkin'…_

"Yeah, Rukia…that's sorta the point of school…"

"I know but still…this is everything I thought it would be. Why don't you like school Ichigo?" she asks, curious.

"Uh…" he sits up again, "I'm just not a school person…"

Rukia nods her head, as if taking it in as important situation. Ichigo rolls his eyes. The teacher comes in and tells the class it's time to go to the locker room to get ready for gym. Rukia looks to Ichigo.

"What's gym, Ichigo?"

Ichigo sighs, "Here's the thing Rukia…," Ichigo starts, "My dad thought it'd be better if ya didn't do gym. So we opted you out of gym classes…"

Rukia expression falls as she sees everyone leaving room. Her head snaps back to Rukia.

"Why can't I go with everyone else, Ichigo?"

Ichigo scratches his neck, _Cuz you'd start freakin' out if you saw everyone gettin' changed in the locker room, you'd never get changed, and there's no way in hell you'd be able to play football or something in gym…, _"Well…there's a…requirement…and…well…"

"Oh, so there are requirements to be able to take certain classes…interesting…"Rukia says, putting her hand on her chin.

"Y-Yeah…exactly…sorry Rukia…" Ichigo says quickly, getting up, "You just have to stay in the classroom…you okay by yourself?"

"I suppose I can read the book I got from the library…"

Ichigo nods, "If ya need me, ask Sensei, all right? I'll come right back."

Rukia watches Ichigo leave the room and sighs, knowing that he won't be right back. She walks to the window and sees her classmates walking and laughing together to the gym. She leans on the windowsill and sighs sadly.

"Baka…"

"What's a girl like you doin' skippin' class?"

Rukia turns around in surprise to see a boy standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. She looks around nervously, not knowing how to react.

"Uh…H-Hello…I'm Kuchiki…it's nice to-"

"Yeah, yeah I've heard of ya, you're the girl that's never left her house…people call ya a freak, ya know that?"

Rukia backs up as he walks forward, intimidated by his appearance, an angry face with multiple tattoos. His face softens as he chuckles.

"Relax…I don't say that…and I'm not gonna kill ya either…the name's Renji. What's up?" The red head says, putting out his hand. Rukia just stares at it.

"I'm Rukia."

"I know who you are…" he says, pausing for a moment. Renji sighs at the wide-eyed girl, "Take my hand…"

Rukia take his hand and Renji shakes it. He grins.

"Now yer makin' some progress…"

* * *

**Oh, Ichigo's got some competition XD I really like how Rukia meets Renji...I've been wanting to use that since chapter one. I never really write as Renji so I'm hope he's in character...and if he's not I guess that's okay. I don't really like him anyways~ lol Well, nothing much to say. Hope you enjoy it~**

* * *


	7. Rivals

Ichigo and Rukia walk back from school in a bearable silence. Ichigo sighs and throws his bag over his shoulder, angry and upset that his personal hell has restarted for the year. Rukia, on the other hand, smiles to herself as she walks next to Ichigo with her bag behind her back.

"When do you have gym next, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looks over to Rukia, "Uh…it's every other day, so Wednesday. Why? What's up?"

Rukia smirks, "Nothing, nothing…just curious. It was…good reading time."

Ichigo rolls his eyes and thinks nothing of it, continuing the walk to his house with an empty mind. Rukia, in contrast, muses on her only real excitement of the day.

* * *

"_You like school so far?"_

"_Yes, it's very enjoyable."_

"_Really…I think it's a bore. That's why I skip."_

"_What is skipping, Abarai-kun?"_

_Renji sighs loudly, obviously annoyed, "I can tell if you're acting or not. Get serious with me or I'll leave you alone here."_

_Rukia looks at him nervously but then takes a breath, "All right, baka, what does skipping class mean?"_

"_There you go," Renji leans back,crossing his arms, "It's when you leave class without permission and don't come back."_

"_Why do you do that?"_

"_Cuz I'm bored…" Renji says bluntly, "School's a drag. Who wants to deal with it? But anyway, why are you skipping if you don't know what it is?"_

"_I'm not skipping, I'm just not taking gym," Rukia says, sitting across from Renji, "Some requirement I don't have."_

_Renji nods silently. Rukia joins the silence, until her patience is gone._

"_How did you know about me?"_

"_Everyone knows about you. It's not every day someone's in the same situation as you."_

_Rukia nods and turns her gaze to the wall._

"_They call me weird?"_

"_Ah, no, no, uh…well…" Renji stutters in a panic, realizing the situation, "they just think that…um…you're different I guess."_

"_Everyone thinks that…"_

_Renji gulps, "Rukia…"_

"_Don't worry, Renji," she looks up smiling, "I really don't care what people say about me either way…"_

_Renji sighs in relief and chuckles. "I like you Rukia…" he says. The two of them look up when they hear the bell ring. "Crap, I gotta go. I'll meet you here next time, okay Rukia?"_

"_All right, see ya Renji," she says as he gets up and walks out of the room._

* * *

"Rukia…Rukia…Rukia!!!"

Rukia is pushed out her thoughts when she hears Ichigo's voice, and see his face right in front of her. Rukia slaps him.

"Baka! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Ow! Tryin' to get your damn attention!! We're here!" he yells, gripping his face. Rukia looks up and sees their house.

"Oh…all right…"

Rukia nonchalantly walks into the house with a slouching Strawberry following behind her. They kick off their shoes at the door and walk into the surprisingly noisy kitchen.

"Ichi-nii, Rukia-chan…how was your day at school?" Yuzu asks, half her body in the refrigerator.

"Eh, same thing as last year…" Ichigo replies unenthusiastically, plopping down on a chair.

"Well, it wasn't for Rukia-chan!" Yuzu responds, waving her wooden spoon, "How was _your_day Rukia-chan?"

"It was very interesting. I learned a lot and met very…interesting people."

"If you're talkin' about Keigo, sorry 'bout that. He's an ass…but you sorta just learn how to live with it."

Rukia laughs as Yuzu walks over with a platter of food.

"I made you guys some cookies for your first day of school. I hope you like them."

"Thank you Yuzu-chan," Rukia smiles.

"Yeah thanks. You finished your homework, right?" Yuzu nods, "Fine then," Ichigo sighs, "You're good."

Yuzu smiles and runs into the back yard, joining Karin. Rukia grins.

"You have such a nice family, Ichigo."

Ichigo shrugs, "I guess…"

They sit in silence and eat the cookies until Rukia opens her mouth.

"Do you know a person name Renji Abarai?" Rukia asks, wiping her face with a napkin.

Ichigo looks up from his plate, "Yeah. Same age as us but in a different class, right? Why do you care?"

"N-no reason…some of the girls were talking about him. Heard he has some crazy tattoos…"

Ichigo rolls his eyes, "He's just another thug in another gang. He's just trouble. And who the hell gets tattoos in high school anyway? He's crazy."

"Doesn't Chad-san have tattoos?"

Ichigo looks away, "Chad's different…" he mumbles.

"If you say so baka," Rukia stands up, smoothing out her skirt, "Come on…we have to do our homework."

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia find themselves walking to school again, the same as they did the day before. Rukia stares up at all the trees and looks at all the people, as if she hadn't done it the day before. Ichigo sighs at this, still not totally understanding her.

Renji looks over from the side of the building to see Ichigo and Rukia standing in front of the school. He didn't really notice Ichigo however; his eyes were focused on the shorter, violet eyed girl next to him. Renji quickly looks himself over, pulling at his shirt and smoothing his pants before starting to walk over.

"Hahahah, look at this! Renji's trying to impress a girl!"

Renji quickly turns around, his face red in embarrassment, "Oi Ikkaku, what the hell're you saying?! I'm not doing anything!!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's why you're staring at a girl and makin' yourself look nice," Ikkaku grins, walking out of the shadows of the building with a group of people. He's holding a wooden sword, "Don't get any ideas Renji…"

The group looks over to see who Renji was looking at. One boy starts laughing hysterically.

"It's the Kuchiki!! The crazy Kuchiki girl!!" Unbelievable Renji! Unbelievable!!" Yumichika laughs, holding his stomach.

Renji grabs his collar and holds him against the wall, "She's not crazy. She's perfectly fine!"

"Now, now everyone. I think it's great that our little Renji's in love…go for it Renji," Matsumoto says, giving him the thumbs up. Renji drops Yumichika, who's still laughing.

"Rangiku!! Shut up!!"

"Yeah guys, just stop," Ikkaku says, facing Renji, "Go over to her Renji…let's see what you can do…"

Renji sighs, glares at his so-called 'friends', and walks over to where Rukia is. He comes up next to her.

"Hey Rukia," he says coolly. He can still hear Yumichika laughing behind him.

"Oh, hi Renji…ah, wait there…" she says and runs away for a moment. Renji starts to sweat.

"Great job. Ya scared her away!!" Ikkaku yells from the back. Renji doesn't turn around but waits for Rukia to come back, dragging a tall man behind her.

"Ichigo…this is my new friend Renji. Renji," she looks over to him, "This is Ichigo Kurosaki…"

The boys stand there in silence for a moment staring, to be exact glaring, at each other. Ichigo's wearing an intensified version of his average scowl while Renji just stares back, trying to beat his. And after a few seconds…

"Hey, name's Renji."

Ichigo wins.

"Ichigo. Nice ta meet ya," Ichigo says, stuffing his hands in his pockets. They stand there in an awkward silence until Rukia sighs.

"My mother was right…men really are buffoons, aren't they?"

They both look down at her, surprised at her talking about her mother in public. She rolls her eyes.

"Come on Ichigo, we'll be late…I'll see you around, Renji," she waves as she walks towards the school. Ichigo stays in front of Renji for another moment, not following Rukia.

"Watch out, Abarai…"

Renji scowls, "And I'd watch out if I were you too, Strawberry."

Ichigo doesn't look back as he turns around and follows Rukia. Renji keeps his feet planted and furrows his brow.

"Wow…our Renji's got some competition…" Matsumoto comments, patting Renji on the shoulder.

Yumichika walks up next to him as well, "This should be fun to watch, right Ikkaku…"

Ikakku sighs, "Not really…I don't care about this crap…Renji. Don't drag us down with ya, got it?" Ikakku says, not looking at Renji as he passes, "Let's get goin'…the bell's gonna ring."

The group walks into the school, leaving Renji outside. After minutes of silence, Renji grins and stuffs his hands into his pockets, walking towards the building just when the bell rings. He walks through the school doors with the same grin on his face.

"Bring it."

* * *

**This chapter was a pain. I just got back from vacation and was like oh I have to write. Attempt at character development=fail. I thought the whole Ikkaku Yunichika Matsumoto Renji thing was funny tho. All and all, boring chapter...I'll try to think of something better.**

* * *


	8. Trust

* * *

"Renji Abarai?!"

Rukia nods.

"Are you serious? Leave it to you to like a gang member!" he yells angrily, leaning his head on his arm which is standing on his desk.

"And what is wrong with befriending Renji? He is a very nice person," Rukia responds, not meeting Ichigo's gaze and instead takes out her books.

"Because he's freakin' dangerous!!" Ichigo yells again impatiently,

"And how are you supposed to know this when you've never talked to him..."

"He loiters out with a group of seniors who've been in jail, damn it! He's askin' for trouble!!"

Rukia rolls her eyes, "You have to be eighteen to be put in jail, Ichigo."

Ichigo feels like getting up and screaming, but stops himself, "Ever heard of juvie?"

"Ichigo," Rukia sighs, finally turning to him, "I am capable of taking care of myself..."

"Then why the hell did you hire me to tell ya why the sky's blue?"

"Ichigo?"

"Hey, it's true!! You're still sorta new to all this crap, I can't go off and just give you away to freakin' criminals!!

Rukia stares at him furious, "S-Shut up, baka!"

"Don't get insulted Rukia...but I'm tellin' the truth...you need help."

"Ichigo!!"

Ichigo smirks at the pout on Rukia's face as the teacher walks into the room. She turns to him but quickly glares and turns back away, seeing that his smirk stayed on his face. He could always use the sheltered comment to get her, not that he _liked_ using it, but sometimes it was needed. An ace in the hole. But her eyes would always become darker when he mentioned it, as if she was thinking of something traumatic, so he never jumped into that hole willingly.

But he had an important point to get across: gang members are bad. So it was appropriate, right? Because he can't just let Rukia hang out with total strangers that could attack her or something. It was necessary.

"Ichigo?"

Right?

"Ichigo!"

"What?!" he yells, being pushed out of his thought. Keigo sighs.

"Grab your lunch, Ichigo, we're gonna eat outside today."

"What? Lunch already?" Ichigo says, looking around.

"Yeah," Keigo laughs, "If only I could day dream through half the day...you're lucky you have such a small attention span, Ichi-"

Ichigo stands up after punching Keigo and grabs his bento.

"Meet ya outside."

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia didn't talk for the rest of the day, nor did they really want to after their fight. Ichigo _did _feel bad for messing with her like that, but didn't let it get to him. He finally won something. And that something being an argument is a huge accomplishment for him, especially with Rukia.

But when Rukia walked right passed him when he waited outside for her after school. He started to worry.

_Damn...why am I such an ass..._

"Hey, Rukia..."

"What? I'm surprised you're talking to me, baka. Sorry you had to wait for me after school, Ichigo. I know how much of a burden an uneducated, irresponsible girls with bad judgement can be," she says coldly without turning around.

Ichigo's brow scrunches up, "Geez Rukia, relax...I'm sorry. I shouldn't of brought it up."

"It's not like I'm mad because of that..." she says quietly, "I don't think I can get mad at you for real, Ichigo."

Ichigo sighs in relief, "Ok...then what?

"What gets me mad is that it's true..."

Ichigo stares on as she clenches her fist, "I'm useless, defenseless, and a waste of your time..."

Ichigo sighs again and rolls his eyes. Rukia looks away and stares at her fist, holding it up to her face.

"Relax..." Ichigo finally says.

Rukia's eyes go wide as she sees his arms go around her and his hands grab her fist. He holds her fist in his hands for a moment before he starts to unwound her tightly gripped fingers.

"You're not useless," he says, trying to relax her hand, "Ya help out around the house and stuff, and you're friends with Inoue and the others so you definitely _not _useless," he smirks, finally releasing a few of her fingers from her fist.

"Defenseless? What the hell? It's not like we're spirit-killing-samurai in those crazy manga you read. So it's not like you're gonna get attacked or kidnapped or something...and I'll defend ya anyway so don't sweat it..." he says, releasing the rest of your fingers.

"And..."

He grabs her shoulders and turns her to face him, "You're not a waste of my time."

Rukia stares up at his nonchalant face in shock as Ichigo purses his lips. He notices how big and bright her violet eyes are. He tries not to pay attention to it.

Ichigo slowly lets go of her shoulders.

"Got it?" he says quickly, using it as an excuse to avoid her gaze, as he crosses his arms across his chest, looking at the scenery above her head.

"Thanks, Ichigo..." Rukia says, looking down at her feet, embarrassed at her outburst, "I guess I still need to train more..."

"So we'll just keep trainin'," he says calmly, clenching his own fist, "and don't worry about it...I'll always be here to get ya out of your moods."

"Moods? You make me sound like a spoiled child..."

Ichigo holds his breath and rolls his eyes.

"You think I act like a spoiled child," she says plainly, elbowing him in the side. Ichigo winces.

"Well...uh..."

"Oi, Ichigo...what's this?" Rukia says with curiosity, pointing into the bushes. Ichigo sigh again and walks over, trying to see through the shrubs.

"What? I don't see anything..."

"There!" Rukia says, grabbing his hair and moving his head in the right direction. Ichigo holds in a yelp and focuses on the bushes.

"What? That?"

"Yes, the white thing...I think it's moving..."

"That's called a rabbit, Rukia," he says, taking control of his head again. He stands up straight.

"But it's not human...why is it moving?" Rukia asks, her personality back to the way Ichigo likes it.

Ichigo stuffs his hands in his pockets, "It's an animal...they aren't human...but they live too. Uh...you'll learn about it in school."

"Wow..." Rukia marvels, crouching down next to the bush where the rabbit was next to the sidewalk. Ichigo stares at her.

"What?"

"It's so cute..." Rukia manages to say, looking up at Ichigo. Ichigo's gaze is dragged to her eyes again where he sees their familiar sparkle. Whenever the sparkle like that, Ichigo can tell she's excited. Ichigo swallows and turns away.

"C-Come on, Rukia. Yuzu's gonna kill us if we're late for dinner..."

"Oh, all right..." Rukia says, quickly grabbing her bag and catching up to him. They both continue the walk with a similar smirk that they both prayed that the other couldn't see.

* * *

"I trust you, Rukia..."

Rukia looks up at Ichigo, who notices her gaze but keeps looking forward as he walks on the sidewalk. They were only a few blocks away from the Kurosaki Clinic and usually finish their walk in silence, but when Ichigo had something to say, he says it.

"So you don't mind me hanging out with Renji?"

"I guess not..." he shrugs, "you can pick your own friends, right? I'm here ta help, not to brain-wash ya..."

Rukia laughs, "And you think I read too much manga?"

Ichigo's cheeks turn the slightest shade of red, causing his cheeks and his strawberry hair to blend into the orange sky as the sunsets behind them. Rukia stares at him for a moment.

"Thanks, Ichigo."

Ichigo looks over to her, "What?"

"For trusting me," she says, staring straight into his face. Ichigo, even surprising himself, doesn't break their gaze. They just stand there for a few seconds in utter silence, staring into each other's faces. Ichigo's mind quickly runs blank.

"Cuz I made plans to hang out with Renji and his friends after school tomorrow, so I'm glad you don't mind."

_...What the hell?!_

"What the hell?!" Ichigo yells, saying exactly what he thinks, throwing his bag as Rukia smirks and keeps walking.

"What? You said you trusted me, so there shouldn't be a problem. Now come on Ichigo...we're going to be late for dinner..."

Ichigo watches Rukia's small figure fade into the colorful sky. He sighs and walks behind her, catching up quickly because of his wide strides.

_Guess when it comes to arguments...I can't ever freakin' win..._

* * *

_**This chapter is weird. I was gonna to try to keep this fight going for another chapter or two. But I thought it would be awkward so I didn't. I wanna try to get to the climax soon (which, at the moment, I don't know what it is). I still don't have everything in chronological order in my head. I think the climax will happen in winter (in the story) so probably a couple more chapters...I'm not sure.**_

**Am I organized or what?**

**So yeah, I probably won't be able to upload as frequently because of school. I have so much work it isn't even funny. So ya, I'll try to update as quickly as possible without rushing the story and messing it up.**

**So tell me whatcha think?**

* * *


	9. Friends

"So Renji, where do we go now?"

"Does it matter?"

She looks at him curiously, her eyes growing twice their normal size.

He sighs, "Never just hung out after school before, huh?"

"No," she replies, kicking a rock, "Let's just say I haven't done a lot of things," she says, laughing sadly. Renji looks at her sternly, not knowing what to say. Rukia looks to him again, a small smile returning to her face, "So what do we do?"

Renji meets her gaze but quickly turns away, "We're just going to meet up with the guys..." he states quietly, scratching his cheek.

"Sounds interesting..." Rukia says, walking ahead. Renji stops for a moment, a sigh quickly escaping his lips before he catches up with her, his mouth twisting into a grin.

They finally arrive at an old, abandoned warehouse a few blocks from school. It looks like an old manufacturing plant, its windows broken and its walls green from mold and age. Rukia looks at it, her face stricken with fright, as she takes a step back. Renji, standing behind her, puts his hands on her shoulder and grins.

"Don't' worry, it's not that bad...and we're not even going in..."

Rukia looks up to him and nods, Renji starting to walk around the building. They to the back and are greeted by a group of familiar faces. Renji grimaces.

"We've been expecting you, Kuchiki..."

Rukia looks over to see Ikkaku, leaning on a post casually, widdling the top of his wooden sword with a knife. He grins, "What's up?"

"Uh...hello..."

"Well, look who's here..." Yumichika says, walking out of the back of the building holding a can of soda. He throws it to Matsumoto.

"Take a seat, Rukia-chan," she says, catching the soda, sitting on a run-down couch.

"Oh, it's alright, Rangiku-sa-"

"Aw~ Come on!" she laughs, pulling her on to the couch, Rukia breaks away from her tight hug. She straightens her skirt with a sigh and looks up at her new "friends," all of them staring intently at her. She becomes nervous under their merciless gaze and starts flattening her skirt again. Ikkaku sighs.

"Where the hell are they?! They're always late!" he says, throwing a rock at the wall.

"Who?" Rukia says, looking up with interest. Ikkaku sighs.

"We still need two more people before we start anything...damn. I knew we shouldn't let them hang out with us, Matsumoto!" Ikkaku yells, switching his attention to the orange haired student.

She pouts, "Hey! I had too! I owe that kid. He's let me borrow a lot of money."

Ikkaku rolls his eyes and Renji and Yumichika start to chuckle. Rukia looks around and takes in the warm atmosphere, everyone laughing and teasing each other happily, the way she pictured how people should act in the world she always wanted to be apart. She eventually starts laughing quietly herself, which captures Renji's attention. His grins grows even larger at the sight.

"Sorry we're late. Our sensei's a pain in the ass."

"Heh, it took you long enough, moron."

"Shut up, Madarame!"

"Ah...um...please don't be mad, Ikkaku-san. Sensei wanted to speak with me and I made Shiro-chan wait...so please don't be mad at him."

"Don't worry about it, Hinamori," Matsumoto says with a smile as the girl called Hinamori sits next to her on the couch.

Rukia closely examines the two children that had just walked in. The boy who talked back to Ikkaku was short and seemed to be wiser than his appearance gave him credit for. He had snow-white spiky hair and ice blue eyes that seemed to freeze the person who stared into them. Rukia presumed he was in middle school because of his uniform, a black high collared shirt with matching pants, and the stereotypical middle school uniform.

The girl she presumed was around the same age, maybe a little older. She had brown eyes and hair that was tied up in a bun cover. She had a black and white sailor uniform that's skirt went down to her knees. The said girl looked over to Rukia and smiled.

"Hello, you must be Kuchiki-san. I'm Hinamori Momo...and he's my friend, Shiro-chan."

"I can introduce myself, Hinamori," the white haired boy says, slightly irritated, "I am Hitsugaya Toshiro."

Rukia wants to laugh but holds it in. He speaks as if he is the head of a large company, instead of the adolescent he actually is. Ignoring her mental comment, Rukia nods.

"It is very nice to meet both of you," she smiles happily, nodding to both of them. Toshiro takes his place sitting on an old crate, undoing the first few buttons of his uniform top.

"Now what? We're all here."

"Shut up, I'm thinking..." Ikkaku says, his brow furrowing. Renji sighs.

"Guess thinking is hard for you, Ikkaku."

He turns to Renji; angry again, "I said shut up!!"

"Well...what does Rukia-chan want to do?" Matsumoto says, turning to Rukia. Rukia's face slowly turns red.

"Ah...whatever you guys want to do...I'm just a guest!"

"Heh, what is this...a dinner party?" Yumichika comments, "You're not a guest...so what do you want to do Kuchiki? We know you're new...and we don't care."

_They know...and they don't care._

Rukia looks up to her new friends happily and grins, knowing that no matter what she says, they'll do it for her because Renji said they were all her friends.

* * *

"That was…interesting…"

In the end, the group walked around Karakura going into different shops and places. Rukia, Matsumoto, and Momo looked at clothes, hats, and things like that while the guys goofed around and got kicked out of most the stores, leaving both the boys and girls laughing hysterically as they went through the crowds. Eventually their ridiculous day finally ended at a small ice cream shop on the corner of the main road. The seven of them walk in and Renji goes to the counter.

"How's it goin', Hanataro?"

"Ah…Abarai-san, everyone, how are you doing?" A short, black haired boy responds from the other side of the counter. Rukia cocks her head, studying his white shirt with matching apron and small triangular blue hat. _Is there a costume party?_

"Eh, nothin' much," Ikkaku answers back, uninterested, "Guess everyone will just have the regular…'cept…yo Kuchiki!" Rukia turns the Ikkaku quickly, still nervous around him. Ikkaku gives her a push, "Pick what you want, _Shiro-chan's _treat."

"What did you call me, baldly?"

"I'll take you on right here, right now kid!"

"Who would someone want to fight a man who wears eye shadow…?"

"What the hell did you just say?!"

Everyone snickers as Ikkaku pulls out his wooden sword, furious.

"Ah! Ikkaku-san! N-Not in the shop please!!" Hanataro says worriedly, waving the ice cream scooper. Ikkaku glances at him for a moment and lowers his sword.

"You're lucky I like ya, kid."

"Really?" Toshiro smirks, "Never would have guessed…"

"Um…" Rukia ponders, still looking at the list of flavors, grateful that Ichigo's sisters had taken her to an ice cream shop once, "I'll have the strawberry, please."

Renji snorts quickly and, not knowing why he is disgusted with her choice, turns away with a deep grimace on his face. Matsumoto elbows Momo and they both smile, knowing why Renji is troubled.

They take their orders and, after Toshiro pays, leave and sit outside the shop.

"Well…I guess this is it…" Yumichika says, taking a scoop of his ice cream, "I'm done for the day… see you guys tomorrow in school."

And the others left accordingly after that, Toshiro and Momo, Matsumoto, and eventually Ikkaku, leaving Renji and Rukia alone in front of the ice cream shop. Renji sighs, throwing out his cup.

"I guess I should head home too…see you tomorrow, Rukia."

"Wait, Renji!" Rukia says, standing up, "walk me back to my house…it's dangerous for a girl to walk alone."

Renji's brow furrows. He doesn't mind walking Rukia home, actually in a sense, he wants too. But the Rukia he knows would never make a comment like that. She'd want to show how confident she is and walk home herself. He sighs, knowing he still has a lot to learn about her, and a lot to figure out on his own.

"Yeah, sorry. Let's go."

They walk home in silence side by side, neither knowing what to say. Eventually they get to the Kurosaki residence, and Rukia sighs in relief that Renji does not know where Ichigo lives. She smiles.

"Thanks Renji. Today was…amazing," Rukia states, looking up at him. The beams from the setting sun bounce off her skin and make her look almost angelic, causing Renji to turn red. He holds his breath.

"Hey Rukia…uh…there's this thing at the school next month…it's sorta like…uh…a dance…"

"A school dance? A dance sponsored by a school, which can be casual or formal, consisting of music, refreshments, and other recreational activities." Renji nods. "And our school's having one…that's interesting. Thank you for the information, Renji."

"W-Wait! I was wondering if…ya…you wanted to go with me," he asks, his voice getting quieter in embarrassment.

"Sure…I suppose so. I was probably going to go anyway so, it will be fun. Thanks Renji," Rukia grins, walking into her house.

Renji grins and clenches his fists, proud of his unbelievable accomplishment.

If only Rukia knew what she was getting into…

* * *

**You guys better love me. Well...between school and other stuff it took me like 2 months to write this so you shouldn't love me. But I had this finished a couple days ago and it got deleted =[ so I re-wrote the whole thing today. And it was not fun. And I was not happy. So love me! lol...hahahah, forget it. I'd do anything for you guys =D So yeah, the climax is coming...along with Rukia's family life past and stuff. I got it all planned in my head finally. But all you IchiRuki fans probably didn't like this chapter so much~ lol**

**Tell me what'cha think?**


	10. Rain II

Ichigo pulls his hand through his hair as he stares at the books on his desk, the sound of Rukia's high pitched humming making it impossible to concentrate. He sighs angrily and swivels around in his chair to face Rukia.

"What the hell's up with you?"

Rukia turns to him from her sketch book looking slightly annoyed, "What Ichigo? Is there something wrong with being happy?"

Ichigo's eyebrows raise, "No...it's the _fact_ that you're happy that surprises me..."

Rukia doesn't answer and continues with her previous activity. After a couple minutes of silence, Ichigo gets up from his desk with a sigh and shoves his hands into his pockets. He walks over to his closet.

"Come on Rukia, we're going out."

"Where?"

"We're gonna buy you some new clothes. You can't be runnin' around in those freakin' dresses forever..."

Rukia's mouth opens slightly, "What is wrong with dresses? My mother always said, 'only a lady can look good in a dress,'" she tells him proudly.

Ichigo bites the inside of his mouth, angry with himself that he made her think about her mother. But, seeing how she spoke about her, he noticed she didn't get upset or become depressed. She almost seemed happy to think of her. Ichigo had a feeling that the healing had already begun.

"Fine, fine..." Ichigo continues, "we'll stick with dresses. But we're getting a hell of a lot more of them. You go wear the same freakin' three everywhere you go."

Rukia looks away, unable to protest the truth Ichigo had just hung in her face. She gets off his bed and walks over to him, jabbing him quickly in the side.

"Hurry up, baka."

* * *

"Ugh...that was..."

"Amazing!"

"...hell."

"What?" Ichigo says, taken aback, "You went shopping with Inoue before! How come it's 'fun' with her but 'amazing' with me?"

She stops to think for a moment, "I don't know...everything just seems better when you're around, Ichigo."

Ichigo stops and lets the bags hang idle on his arms. He looks around nervously and feels a heavy feeling on his chest. He stares at Rukia for a moment..._Wait...what..._

"You know...that tortured look you had on your face...looked like a child forced to go shopping with his mother..." she turns towards him with a sly grin on her face.

"The hell?" he finishes his thought out loud. Rukia laughs and walks away, leaving Ichigo standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

He slaps himself in the face, embarrassed about the thoughts that flowed into his head which he did not alliterate...and the feeling he thought...

"No...what am I thinking..." Ichigo says to himself out loud once more, his expression serious.

"Ichigo? If you don't hurry up, I'll leave you behind!" Rukia yells from in front of him.

Ichigo grumbles, still unsure of himself, and follows her down the street.

"Let's walk through the park since we're going back...it's quicker..."

"Why? It's such a nice day. Are you tired already?"

"These bags are damn heavy, Rukia!" Ichigo exclaims, lifting the bags to show her. She rolls her eyes playfully.

"Only because you paid, then."

They walk on the dirt path of the park in silence, Ichigo looking at Rukia, to the floor, and to Rukia again. This cycle continues until Rukia sighs impatiently.

"What is it, Ichigo?"

"What?"

"Why are you pestering me?"

"Wait, what? I'm not doing anything, damn it!"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing! I'm just wonderin' why you're so freakin' happy!"

Rukia pauses, then grins, "Why? Is it that because being with Renji's '_gang' _made me happy and you're jealous!"

"Wh-where the hell do you get that from?" Ichigo yells, red and obviously flustered.

"Why are you so nervous, Ichigo?" Rukia repsonds. It can be easily seen that she is enjoying this.

"I-I-I-I'm not, damn it!"

And, as if on cue, thunder sounds and the sky opens, releasing a down pour of rain. The two both stare a the sky in shock for a moment, allowing the rain to pour on to them. Ichigo, the first one to come back to reality, grabs Rukia's arm and pulls her under a tree. The both stand there as thunder sounds once more.

"Ichigo...I thought I read somewhere that it's dangerous to be under trees during a-"

"Yeah, yeah...I know, but it's better than getting freakin' soaked, right?"

They stand under a large oak in silence, waiting for the rain to let up around them. Ichigo looks over to Rukia and sees that her face is pensive. She looks frightened and clenches her fists at her sides, but eventually she takes a breath and walks out from under the tree and into the rain, doing so like the first time she stepped from her house onto the asphalt.

"H-Hey, Rukia...you're gonna get-"

"Ichigo."

Ichigo silences automatically, hearing a certain serenity in Rukia's voice. He looks over to her as she looks up at the sky, getting covered in the rain.

"I think I change my mind Ichigo. I think I like the rain," she says simply.

Ichigo steps out from under the tree but stops before he gets too close to her.

"It rained...when your mother died..." he replies in monotone, thinking about his own mother instead.

A small smile appears on her face.

"I know. But if you think about it, it's only water, and the way it flows from the sky...its seems more peaceful than sorrowful," she pauses for a moment, "I read somewhere that water signifies rebirth and new life. Maybe this is the beginning of my new life, Ichigo." She closes her eyes and tilts her head towards the open sky.

Ichigo stare silently, his wet hair falling past his eyes. The way her skin glowed white compared to the dark clouds, the way her raven black hair stuck to her neck and her worn blue dressed pressed its wet fabric against her body, how she stood with such an unmoving resolve that only he can see...it gave him the feeling he had a few minutes ago. The thoughts that embarrassed him at first came back, and the heavy feeling that inflicted itself on his chest returned,

It was at that moment that he realized what he was feeling and what had happened, except instead of denying it, he accepted it willingly. This feeling that only he knows, and that, in time, she would find out.

* * *

**Hey~ Miss me? I haven't been able to write because of school. But now its the summer~! I have a job...but its so boring I can write chapters to this while on duty so expect more from me~ In all honest, I lost all motivation for this story, but I'm going to finish it because everyone likes it. I'll try not to make it crappy~ I do, however, want to reveal the Kuchiki past eventually, but that will come in time, anyway~ hope you enjoy.**

**Tell me what you think...**


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